Author Archives: Jim

Leaders Can Build Others Up or Tear Others Down

Entering Grade 8 I was introduced to a new style of leadership that I will never forget. My home room teacher assembled the class and stood at the front of the room behind a podium. The first words out of his mouth were “I am God to you this year. I hold your future in my hands. Follow my rules and you will be ok”. I can’t remember the rest, I only remember the message. Like many of my classmates, this took us off guard and set us back a bit as we were all looking forward to high school followed by a post secondary education. I didn’t respond too well to this type of leadership and did not have my best performing year coming off a string of good years. At the end of the year, the recommendation from this self proclaimed God was that I set my sights lower and not consider post secondary education, just get the basics.

Thankfully my parents built me back up, convinced me otherwise and I was capable of much more. I went on to high school and ended up with an Engineering degree followed by a career of increasing scope and leadership.

My preference in leadership has always been to build people up and help them reach higher, knowing that I will be there to support them should they stumble. Build confidence rather than tear people down and destroy it. Thankfully I didn’t listen to the advice of my Grade 8 leadership.

One day when I returned to my hometown I took a trip to the local hardware store to pick something up for my Dad. To my surprise (and to be honest bringing a smile to my face), the Grade 8 self-proclaimed God was stocking shelves. I never understood his motivation in his leadership style and really didn’t care enough to ask him.

From Mindless to Mindful

From Mindless to Mindful by Draj Fozard and Jesse Otta is an easy read reflecting on the lessons learned from two individuals with different backgrounds. A former bank executive that learned from working on Bay Street and a young man that learned from working at a car wash through school. Leaders know that lessons come from everywhere. We just have to be open to observing, learning and demonstrating new learnings – teachability.

Draj and Jesse learned some key lessons and have put them into action:
– Measure loyalty and not satisfaction
– Talk to your customer and act on feedback
– Turn indifferent customers into advocates
– Focus on creating a wow experience
– Sell solutions, recommendations and advice and the products/services will sell themselves
– People drive experience – products can be reproduced, people can’t
– Hire people that like people

Thank you Draj and Jesse for some great stories and lessons that can be applied to business or family life.

Definition of Leadership

Two great definitions of leadership from Steve Jobs and Dwight Eisenhower. I feel, that if combined it is even more powerful. Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something they wouldn’t normally do because they want to and they understand why.

First you follow, then you lead

We all learn to follow before we learn to lead. I was blessed to be brought into a family with a mother, father, sisters and a brother to follow. I learned many lessons and as I grew older, venturing out out of my parents sight they constantly reminded me – Don’t be a follower! I learned to make my own decisions, choose my own paths and not to follow others by default. It wasn’t until later in life that I learned to lead. This photo is a gift from my daughter and reinforced the responsibility of all parents to lead their children.